English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-17 October 2025-No34 According to a Reuters report, “Hamas forces have intensified their repression of Palestinians and have executed at least 33 people accused of collaborating with Israel.” In one of the videos released, armed and masked Hamas militants drag seven men into a public square in Gaza, force them to their knees, and shoot them dead. Public executions—this is Hamas’ first ‘gift’ to the people of Gaza at the beginning of what …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-17 October 2025-No34 Tehran’s Revolutionary Court has sentenced two French nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, to over 30 years each—۶۳ years in total—on charges of “espionage” and “intelligence cooperation with Israel.” Both have been in detention since March 2023. The French government has called the accusations “baseless.” The verdicts are preliminary and subject to appeal at the Supreme Court within 20 days. Officials of the Islamic Republic have hinted that the case …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-17 October 2025-No34 The secretary of the ‘Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil’ headquarters in Tehran Province has announced the formation of a ‘Chastity Situation Room,’ saying: “With the activation of 80,000 trained personnel, a major transformation can be achieved in the province.” He added: “Through this Situation Room for Chastity and Hijab, enemy actions will be monitored and analysed, and cultural, media and legal strategies will be designed and communicated to relevant institutions.” …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-17 October 2025-No34 A group of Social Security retirees in Gilan gathered on Saturday, 11 October, in front of the organisation’s provincial headquarters in Rasht, chanting slogans including “No to executions.” In recent months, at protests held by retirees across the country, demonstrators have explicitly opposed the death penalty and called for the release of those sentenced to death, including Sharifeh Mohammadi. The retirees have stressed that threats and executions will no longer …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-17 October 2025-No34 On Monday, 13 October, all twenty surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas were released. In exchange, the Israeli government freed 1,970 Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire has allowed Israeli forces to withdraw from parts of Gaza and has opened the way for water and food to reach a starving and parched population. In recent days, tens of thousands of displaced Gazans—by any means available, many on foot—have begun returning home, carrying …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-17 October 2025-No34 According to a report in Shargh newspaper, “While domestic violence in Iran has increased, safe houses for abused women are now facing security threats.” Zahra Eftekharzadeh, founder of the Atina Safe House, pointed to the lack of official statistics and the weakness of deterrent laws. Fatemeh Babakhani spoke of women’s growing awareness of their rights, but emphasised that the absence of legal, economic and cultural support prevents effective resistance to …

English Journal is published on Fridays PDF-English Journal-17 October 2025-No34 Marziyeh and Morteza are the names of two soft, plastic anti-stress toys, shaped like a gorilla and a pig, that have recently become popular in Iran and are sold on online marketplaces. Yet these two toys have now become a headache for their makers and sellers—and, unexpectedly, a fresh threat to the Islamic Republic itself. On Monday, 13 October, Tehran’s prosecutor’s office announced that it had instructed judiciary agents to …